The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventor(s), to the extent the work is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Wireless networks provide a convenient way for devices to access computer networks. Access by many different devices and access from many different locations become simple when cumbersome wiring is replaced with the ability to connect wirelessly. However, as the popularity of wireless networks grow security issues unique to this form of communication are more likely to be exploited.
A wireless access point (WAP) is a device that allows wireless devices to connect to a wired computer network. Wireless communications present many security difficulties. For example, communications between the wireless access point and wireless client devices are vulnerable to eavesdropping and attacks by malicious users. To provide security against these threats, devices typically encrypt the wireless communications. However, using encryption to secure a wireless network is not without difficulties. Protocols that define how a wireless access point and clients interact are continuously changing and are often difficult and time consuming to configure.
Often, information technology professionals or other skilled persons configure devices for wireless access. A basic configuration process may include manual entry of data and the exchange of configuration information between devices. Additionally, once the basic configuration is complete authentication and connection of a device can be slow due to a multiplicity of communications between a device and the wireless access point. Accordingly, methods of connecting to wireless networks may be inefficient.